Flush control device for toilet flush tank



Nov. 13, 1962 G. ULlCNl 3,053,059

FLUSH CONTROL DEVICE FOR TOILET FLUSH TANK Filed Aug. 29, 1960 INVENTOR. GEORGE ULICNI A/m w Unite States This invention relates generally to toilet flush tanks and more particularly to a novel means and method of controlling the flushing operation of a toilet flush tank.

The flush tank commonly employed with a toilet bowl is conventionally provided with a discharge valve comprising an outlet pipe and a stopper ball seated therein. A vertically disposed stem guided for axial movement is connected at one end to the stopper ball and the other end thereof is commonly formed with an eyelet for lifting engagement with a link which is connected to a lever and lifted thereby when said lever is pivotally moved. Said lever is pivoted by means of a handle outside the flush tank. When this linkage is actuated, the stopper ball is lifted from its seated position in the outlet pipe and the water in the tank is discharged through the outlet pipe into the toilet bowl and flushes the waste material through the goose neck of the toilet bowl into the sewer pipe. As the water level in the tank falls, the floating stopper ball is guided toward and falls against the seat of the outlet pipe closing said discharge valve and allow ing the inlet water to accumulate in the tank preparatory for the next flushing.

It occasionally happens that the Waste in the toilet bowl will not pass through its goose neck to the sewer pipe and the water will accumulate in the toilet bowl to an overflow level if the cover of the flush tank is not quickly removed and the stopper ball manually pushed into the seat of the outlet pipe thereby stopping the flow of water from the tank to the toilet bowl. More often than not, the cover of the flush tank is used as a shelf for jars and other articles used in the toilet room and by the time it is realized that the water will overflow the toilet bowl, it Will be too late to remove these articles from the cover and the cover itself before some flooding occurs. In the case with children, flooding occurs frequently due to the injudicious use of the toilet bowls and the inability to stop the water to the toilet bowl once the flush has started.

Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for stopping the flushing action of the tank by a simple manipulation of the flush handle when it is observed that flooding will occur.

Another important object of this invention is to pro vide an apparatus which utilizes the inlet water to the flush tank as a motive medium for actuating the discharge valve to close.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide such an apparatus which may be economically manufactured and distributed in the form of a kit and which may be easily and quickly installed within a flush tank by the ordinary householder requiring no special tools.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a flush tank,

FIGURE 2 is an elevational cross section taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational cross section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the valve and link members,

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FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross section of the valve taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 showing the gate member in normal flushing position, and

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of the spray conduit showing the stopper ball in operative relationship therewith.

Referring now to the drawing, numeral 2 designates a conventional flush tank having a discharge valve 4 including the usual outlet pipe 6, an overflow pipe 8 communicating with said outlet pipe 6 by means of a passage in connector 10 and a stopper ball 12 which when seated in the outlet pipe 6 closes the discharge valve 4 and when lifted from its seat opens said discharge valve. Said stopper ball 12 is lifted from its seat in the outlet pipe by means of stopper rod 14, link 16 and lever 18 when handle 20 is manually pivoted. As the water is discharged through the outlet pipe 6, float 22 lowers with the water level in tank 2, pivoting connecting rod 24 about is fulcrum 26, opening water inlet valve 28 to replenish the water discharged from the tank during the flushing operation. This is, of course, well known to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

In accordance with the principles of my invention, I provide a hollow conduit or tube 30 connected at one end to the discharge end 32 of water inlet valve 28. The other end of tube 30 terminates in a ring 34. Intermediate said ends, I interpose a valve 36 which serves to control the flow of water to ring 34. Said ring 34 has a plurality of equally spaced holes 38 in the bottom side thereof. Ring 34 is positioned to concentrically receive stopper ball 12 when in the lifted position as shown in FIGURE 6. Holes 38 are located in ring 34 so that jets of water through said holes 38 strike the upper surface of stopper ball 12. Valve 36 has inlet and outlet chambers 40 and 42 respectively, and a gate 44. Said outlet chamber 42 is partitioned to form a compartment 46 having a port hole 48 through which water is bypassed and discharged into the flush tank 2 and overflow pipe 8 through conduit 50 and refill tube 52, respectively, which are connected to valve 36 at said port hole 48. The upper portion of gate 44 is provided with an opening 54 through which water is bypassed to compartment 46 when gate 44 is in the normally closed position. When gate 44 of valve 36 is in the open position, the portion of gate 44 having therein opening 54 is raised into the housing 56, allowing the lower or solid portion of said gate 44 to block the passage to compartment 46 and opening a passage through valve 36 to ring 34. Gate 44 is raised and lowered by means of any convenient linkage. For purposes of this description, I show a linkage connected to lever 18 comprising a fulcrum bar 58 which may be secured in any convenient manner to the body of valve 36 such as by providing said valve body with an ear-like projection (not shown) to which fulcrum bar 58 may be pinned or if the thickness of the valve body permits, a threaded recess may be provided into which the fulcrum bar 58 may be thread edly secured. Said fulcrum bar 58 pivotally supports cross-beam 60. One end of said cross-beam 60 is pivotally connected to the gate stem 59 and the other end thereof is pivotally connected to rod 62. Rod 62 is provided at its upper end with laterally extending fingers 64 and 66 which embrace lever 18 and are spaced apart so that normal pivotal movement of lever 18 is confined between said fingers 6 4 and 66.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

When the toilet bowl is flushed by manually operating handle 26, lever 18 and link 16 lift stopper ball 12 from its seated position in outlet pipe 6 to the ring conduit 34 and remains concentrically positioned in said ring by its buoyancy. As the water discharges through the outlet pipe 6,

the water level in tank 2' lowers, lowering therewith float 22 thereby pivoting its connecting rod 24 about fulcrum 26, opening water inlet valve 28 which allows the water to fiow through outlet 32, conduit 30 connected thereto and to valve 36. The water bypasses gate 44 by flowing through opening 54 therein, through compartment 46, port hole 48 and thence conduit 5'5 and refill tube 52 which discharge into the flush tank 2 and overflow pipe 8 respectively, to replenish the water discharged during the flushing operation. If the flushing operation through the toilet bowl is accomplished satisfactorily, then as the water level falls below the ring conduit 34, the stopper ball 12 floats downwardly to its seated position to close the discharge valve 4 allowing the water in tank 2 to accumulate for the succeeding flush. However if the flush'ng operation through the toilet bowl is not accomplished satisfactorily and for the probable reason that waste material cannot pass the goose neck section of the toilet bowl and the water in the toilet bowl begins to accumulate to overflow level, handle 26 is manually pivoted in the opposite direction from that of a normal flush. This movement causes lever 18 to pivot downwardly, lowering rod 62 by engaging finger 66 thereof. Downward movement of rod 62 causes cross-beam 69 to pivot on fulcrum bar 58 thereby lifting gate 44. This operation of valve 36 opens the passage through valve 36 to ring 34 and closes the passage through compartment 46 and port 48. With the water under pressure passing through valve 36 to ring 34, it is jetted therefrom at a high velocity through holes 38 against the upper surface of stopper ball 12. The stopper ball is forced downwardly and seated in outlet pipe 6 thereby stopping the flushing operation. The water continues to discharge in flush tank 2 through hole 38 of ring conduit 34 until the water is replenished therein and float 22 is raised, closing inlet valve 28.

When the cause of the overflowing is remedied, the toilet bowl may be flushed in the ordinary manner. This operation lifts lever 18 and therewith rod 62 by engaging finger 64 thereof, and pivoting cross-beam 60 to lower gate 44 in valve 36 thereby closing the passage therethrough to ring 34 and opening the passage through compartment 46, port hole 48 and conduit 59 and refill tube 52 discharging in the flush tank and over-flow tube respectively.

While I have shown and described only certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a flush tank of the class wherein water is discharged therefrom through a ball and seat valve when the ball of said ball and seat valve is lifted from said seat by a manually movable lever and wherein water is supplied to said flush tank through an outlet means of an inlet valve, the combination therewith; of a by-pass valve communicating with said outlet means of said inlet valve; conduit means connecting said by-pass valve to discharge water 4. into said flush tank; and a second conduit means connecting said by-pass valve positioned to discharge water against said ball; and said by-pass valve having link means connecting said manually movable lever, said link means operating said by-pass valve to by-pass water from said first named conduit means to said second conduit means.

2. In a flush tank of the class wherein water is discharged therefrom through a ball and seat valve when the ball of said ball and seat valve is lifted from said seat by a manually movable lever and wherein water is supplied to said flush tank through an outlet means of an inlet valve, the combination therewith; of a by-pass valve communicating with said outlet means of said inlet valve; conduit means connecting said by-pass valve to discharge water into said flush tank; an annular conduit connecting said by-pass valve concentrically positioned over said ball; said by-pass valve having link means connecting said manually movable lever, said link means operating said by-pass valve to by-pass water from said conduit means to said annular conduit; and said annular conduit having orifices directed to discharge said water against said ball. 3. A flush control device for a flush tank wherein water is discharged through a discharge valve when said discharge valve is opened by a manually movable lever and wherein water is' supplied to said flush tank through an out let means of an inlet valve comprising: a by-pass valve having an inlet chamber, an outlet chamber and an outlet port; conduit means connecting said outlet means of said inlet valve and said inlet chamber of said by-pass valve; an annular conduit communicating with the outlet chamber of said by-pass valve; said annular conduit having orifices in the wall thereof; and link means engaging said manually movable lever to operate said by-pass valve to bypass water from said outlet port to said annular conduit. 4. A flush control device for a flush tank wherein water is discharged therefrom through a ball and seat valve when said ball of said ball and seat valve is lifted by a manually movable lever and wherein water is supplied to said flush tank through an outlet means of an inlet valve comprising: a by-pass valve having an inlet chamber, an outlet chamber, an outlet port, and a gate for communicating the inlet chamber and the outlet port, said gate being movable for communicating said inlet chamber and said outlet chamber of said by-pass valve; a conduit communicating said outlet mean of said inlet valve and said inlet chamber of said by-pass valve; an annular conduit means communicating with the outlet chamber of said by-pass valve and positioned concentrically over said ball, said annular conduit having orifices directed to discharge water against said ball; and link means connecting said gate and said manually movable lever.

Bowers Oct. 31, 1950 Boyd May 8, 1956 

